Friday, April 8, 2022
Dear Friend ,

During our last Board of Supervisors meeting, Providence Supervisor Dalia Palchik and I introduced a proclamation to designate April 2022 as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

As a former Human Services employee, I understand the difficult circumstances families and children experience. We must continue to provide the resources needed to prevent and support abuse victims.
Last year, Fairfax County's Child Protective Services' 24-hour hotline received approximately 11,000 calls for protective services, many from people seeking help, guidance, and referrals to parenting programs and supportive services. Over 2,600 children in Fairfax County were involved with Child Protective Services.

Thank you to the faith community, business community, and volunteers who provide support to victims of child abuse and prevention efforts in Fairfax County.

Also, on Thursday I joined The Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation and the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce to discuss the upcoming grand opening of the Workforce Innovation Skills Hub. I look forward to sharing additional information in the coming weeks.
Please contact my office if we can assist you.
Email: leedist@fairfaxcounty.gov 
Phone 703-971-6262
-Rodney
Table of Contents
  1. Happy Ramadan from Supervisor Lusk!
  2. Join Supervisor Lusk at 2 Community Cleanup Events
  3. COVID-19 Vaccinations and Tests Remain Free for All County Residents
  4. Free School Physicals for Uninsured Children
  5. Volunteer Grocery Shoppers Needed
  6. Fairfax County Announces 2022 Paving and Restriping Meetings
  7. AARP HomeFit Workshop
  8. Congratulations to FCPS' Winter 2022 Sports Champions!
  9. Ten FCPS Students Awarded Grand Prize at Regional Science and Engineering Fair
  10. Northern Virginia Community College Offering Free Classes for Graduating Seniors
  11. COVID-19 Resources
Happy Ramadan from Supervisor Lusk!
I wish a blessed month of Ramadan to all who observe. May this Ramadan fill you and your family with peace and joy.
Join Supervisor Lusk at 2 Community Cleanup Events
2022 Little Hunting Creek Cleanup
Join Senator Scott Surovell, Delegate Paul Krizek and Friends of Little Hunting Creek for our annual creek cleanup!

Little Hunting Creek is one of the most severely degraded streams in Fairfax County. In our 12 years of creek cleanups, we have removed over 200 shopping carts, over 500 bags of trash, over a dozen bikes, multiple car sears and a .22 caliber rifle.

We will meet volunteers in two locations: Janna Lee Avenue Little Hunting Creek Bridge and in the Mount Vernon Shopping Plaza Near Sherwin-Williams Paint Store. SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2022 AT 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

All volunteers are strongly encouraged to wear rainboots or sneakers. Additionally, we will be providing water, light snacks and pizza for all those who come out and volunteer!

Trash Pirates Cleanup
Official Trash Pirates, an Alexandria-based organization, started by a local military family, is set to make a positive impact in the community and help families get involved in protecting our planet by hosting a local cleanup. Official Trash Pirates is a kid-focused organization teaching kids, families, and schools about the effects of litter on their community and the world. Trash Pirates provides informational articles for both kids and adults, free printables, and demonstrates ways to get involved in the fight against litter and climate change.

According to Clean Fairfax, there are about 700 pieces of plastic floating in the ocean for each person on the planet, all 7.7 billion of us. Litter on land can easily end up in streams, rivers, and then our oceans through storms, wind, and rain (Source: NationalGeographic.org). Cleaning up our neighborhoods and communities is important to helping our land and oceans.

The cleanup will take place on 22 May 2022 from 9 am to 11 am at the corner of Kingstowne Village Parkway & Manchester Blvd/Kingstowne Blvd (meet in the parking lot on the south side of Kingstowne Blvd between Kingstowne Village Pkwy and Barclay Drive). All are invited to participate. Registration is required. Please sign up at officialtrashpirates.com/cleanup. Those under the age of 18 need to be accompanied and closely supervised by an adult. Bring gloves if you have them, trash bags will be provided.

The Climate Reality Project Northern Virginia Chapter and EarthRise Indivisible are proud sponsors of this event.

If you have any questions about this cleanup, please contact Jenna Miller at TrashPirates@outlook.com or via the contact page on OfficialTrashPirates.com.
COVID-19 Vaccinations and Tests Remain Free for All County Residents
Today the federal reimbursement program for free COVID-19 vaccinations and testing has ended. However, The Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) will continue to provide vaccinations for all at no charge at county-operated clinics, including pop-up clinics held throughout the community.

Individuals showing symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been exposed are encouraged to take advantage of ordering at-home tests from the federal government at no charge from www.covid.gov/tests

The FCHD’s mobile testing clinics also continues to provide free testing throughout the community at multiple sites throughout the week. Some pharmacies may continue to provide tests at no charge, but residents are suggested to call in advance to check.

Find a Vaccine Clinic Near you:

COVID-19 Testing sites:
Free School Physicals for Uninsured Children
Together with Inova Cares Clinic for Families, Partnership for Healthier Communities is scheduling free school physicals for uninsured students or have Virginia Medicaid.

This will take place at Inova Cares Clinic for Families in Manassas, VA, and will occur until August. Partnership for Healthier Communities will be on-site to screen and enroll qualifying families in Medicaid.
Volunteer Grocery Shoppers Needed
Do you drive your own car? You could help get groceries for an isolated older person or person with disabilities. Drivers are needed to take them, or to go on their behalf. Alternatively, you can also help someone set up an online grocery store delivery/pick-up order, and do the pick-up if necessary. There are various options to make a big difference! Volunteers do NOT pay for groceries. The timeframe is flexible, approx. 2 hours/every other week.

Fairfax County Announces 2022 Paving and Restriping Meetings
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation will host a series of virtual meetings this month to present paving and restriping plans across the County for 2022. The meetings will be held in coordination with the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Lee, Mount Vernon, and Springfield's meeting will be held on April 19 at 7 p.m.

Call in: 571-429-5982; ID: 652 144 956#
Video meeting link: will be provided shortly.

Each meeting will feature a formal presentation followed by time for questions and comments.

For residents who cannot attend the meetings, a video recording of each event will be available on the paving and restriping webpages, and feedback may be submitted online up to two weeks after the meeting date.

Overall, the paving and restriping program improves roads in Fairfax County each year through maintenance and repaving. At the same time, state and county agencies coordinate restriping efforts to address safety issues for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians through the creation of bike lanes, parking lanes, crosswalks, and more.

More information on the Paving and Restriping Program: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/transportation/2022-paving-and-restriping-program
HomeFit Workshop: Modify Your Home for Safety and Comfort
Thursday, April 14 at 3:00 - 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, April 27 at 3:00 - 4:15 p.m.
The AARP HomeFit Workshop provides participants with information to help them decide what type of home modifications would equip them to stay in their home as they age. It also includes ideas and inspiration for making those modifications. The goal of the presentation is to educate participants on home updates that can make it easier for them to go about their daily activities while staying comfortable, independent, and injury-free in their home.
Congratulations to FCPS' Winter 2022 Sports Champions!
Hayfield Secondary School’s boys basketball team won the 2022 VHSL Class 6 championship.
Congratulations to all the FCPS student-athletes who participated in the 2021-22 winter sports season. This year, five FCPS teams and 30 individuals won the Virginia High School League (VHSL) championships in their respective sports, and one team and 26 individuals were the state runners-up. 

Ten FCPS Students Awarded Grand Prize at Regional Science and Engineering Fair
The 67th annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair showcased more than 200 high school science projects. More than 300 students presented their research projects in a wide variety of science and engineering fields. Projects were judged by more than 150 professionals and 50 professional organizations and businesses. 

The Grand Prize Winners are eligible to compete in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May and the Grand Prize Nominees are eligible to compete in the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair to be held virtually in April.  
Congratulations to Region 3 students: Aaron Kurtz from Edison High School and Fiona Dreesbach from Hayfield Secondary School.

Northern Virginia Community College Offering Free Classes for Graduating Seniors
Qualified seniors graduating this spring who are considering coming to Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) after high school may take one 3-credit course and NOVA’s 1-credit College Success Skills course, SDV 100, at no tuition, as part of the JumpStart2NOVA program. Since these classes are all online, students will need access to a computer and the Internet.

The application is now open and will close at 5 p.m. on April 29. All students will be required to upload a high school transcript and any qualifying test scores if they do not have a 3.0 grade point average. Courses begin May 31 and end August 8. 

More information about JumpStart2NOVA, including course offerings, materials, and details on how to apply, is available online.
Fairfax County COVID-19 Resources
COVID-19:
Contact our Health Department COVID-19 Call Center during business hours Monday-Friday at 703-267-3511.

Text FFXCOVID to 888777 to receive updates from Fairfax County about COVID-19; text FFXCOVIDESP to 888777 for updates in Spanish.

Email questions or concerns to ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov. This email account will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8 am-4:30 pm.


Follow @fairfaxcounty and @fairfaxhealth on Twitter.

For regular updates, continue to follow the following trusted sources:

Rodney L. Lusk
Lee District Supervisor